Department of Pinball

08/31/2026

Registration is open for this Friday 09/04/2026 at The Department of Pinball!

Register yourself right here:
https://app.matchplay.events/tournaments/265318

A four strike pinball party on 10+ classic and mid pins!
Doors open at 7:30 pm, the tournament starts at 8 o'clock.
Free parking at the metered spots in front of the house and a free parking garage up the street 1 block.
Limited to 32 players.
Prior registration is required via Matchplay, link above.
Entry fee of $15 will be paid cash at the door, or you can prepay with PayPal.

The lineup for the strikes tournament, which is subject to change without warning is:
Demo Man
F14 Tomcat
Flash Gordon
Funhouse
Harlem Globetrotters on Tour
Iron Man Vault
Medusa (maybe)
Pl***oy (Bally)
Space Invaders
Xenon
Walking Dead Premium

We will also hold the side tournament again, "The Sternamint Side Ternamint". It's a high score competition on 5 of the modern Sterns, and at the end of the night the top 4 players play a one game playoff for a cash prize!

Pins in the side event (which can change without warning):

Godzilla Premium
Avengers: Infinity Quest LE
Jurassic Park Premium
Led Zeppelin LE
Deadpool Premium

Register yourself right now at:
https://app.matchplay.events/tournaments/265318

08/24/2026

Registration is OPEN for Friday September 4th at 8pm, the Friday Four-Strike Pinball Party!

Register here in MatchPlay: https://app.matchplay.events/tournaments/265318

Where: Department of Pinball in Wheaton MD 20902

A 4 strike pinball tournament played in groups of 4 on 10-12 pins, mostly classics and mids.

Includes a side event, The Sternamint Side Ternamint, a best game tournament on 5 modern Sterns.

Limited to 32 players. Prior registration is required.

Doors at 7:30 pm, tournament starts at 8pm.

Entry fee of $15 cash at the door, or prepaid through PayPal. No coin drop.

Questions may be directed to [email protected]

08/10/2026

On Friday August 7th we held the F14 Tomcat Launch Party pinball tournament and party!

Limiting the tournament to the first two floors of the house turned out to be a savvy move, several people’s knees were thankful. So much so that I am considering moving some machines between floors now, doom on me!

We have wonderfully friendly and generous people that bring food to share with everyone! Huge thanks to Jeff Helgeson & Mary Camper, Kim Reed, Roy Michael , and Carlos Velez for feeding us!

We had fantastic home-smoked chicken, home-made rum cakes (yes plural), home-made pickle relish with chips, and pizza! Thank you!

Kim also donated a neon looking sign with smiley faces that was given as a prize to the side event winner. Thank you Kim!

In our side event, the final Stern game chosen for the top 4 to play was Jurassic Park. Nice pick!

For the Sternamint Side Ternamint:
In 4th place, Shannon Keys
In 3rd place, Adam Adler
In 2nd place, Paul Halliday
And in 1st place, Winner of the side event and top dinosaur wrangler, Derek Swanson!

Over in the main event, F14 Tomcat was feeling young and spry despite being born in 1987. It was played 9 times on Friday, tied with Walking Dead for most number of plays. Several people told me “F14 is my favorite game!” I had no idea!

For the F14 Tomcat Launch Party:
Tied for 4th place, Nathan Fairbanks!
Tied for 4th place, Robert Peters!
In 3rd place, Douglas Malcolm!
In 2nd place, Carlos Velez!
And in 1st place, Winner and Champion of Friday Night, Stephanie Traub!

Congratulations to all the winners! Well done.

Thank you to Celina Malcolm for hosting us even after rushing home from her new job!

Thank you once again to everyone that brought food to share!

Thank you to Matthew Mister and Shannon Keys for Tournament Directing the main and side events!

And most of all, my warmest thanks to everyone that comes out to play and be a part of our Friday night MD pinball scene.

The REAL treasure is the friends we made along the way! 😁

Our next event is The Dollar Game Classic, a return to Saturday pinball with a dollar game twist! That’s Saturday September 12th and registration is open.

You can see the details and register yourself right here:

https://app.matchplay.events/tournaments/258852

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08/03/2026

Registration is OPEN for this Friday August 7th's pinball tournament! The "F-14 Tomcat Launch Party" is a four strike tournament at the Department of Pinball in Wheaton MD!

$15 entry fee, no coin drop. It's a tournament and a party on Friday night!

Sign up here in MatchPlay: https://app.matchplay.events/tournaments/244816

07/20/2026

On Saturday July 18th we held a pinball tournament at our friend Brian’s house, on his amazing collection of 50+ pins.

PinBrawlers vol 1: It Begins was a blast! 34 players braved the heat and wildfire smoke, which thankfully lessened throughout the day.

We played 5 double rounds of pinball, one modern game and one classic game in the same group of four people each round.

After those 10 games, the top 16 players move on to Finals while the rest can play in a B division for prize money.

In 4th place in B, Aaron Quade!
Tied for 2nd place in B, Nathan Fairbanks!
Tied for 2nd place in B, Jake Barney!
And the Winner of B division by way of outright winning every game in B except 1, Sean Smiley!

Over in A division, 16 players had to navigate a gauntlet of tough players and tough games. High seeds got to drive the bus!

The three games played in the final four were: James Bond 60th, John Wick Pro, and Paragon.

Tied for 3rd place in A, Douglas Malcolm!
Tied for 3rd place in A, Jeff Helgeson!
In 2nd place in A, Justin Bath!
And in 1st place, Winner and Champion of the Day, Garrett Maury!

Congratulations to all of our winners! That wasn’t easy was it? Whew!

I want to thank Brian Brzezicki for opening his home to us and allowing us all to play his amazing collection. You were the perfect host, thank you Brian!

Thank you to my two co-TDs, Shannon Keys and Matthew Mister! I appreciate you!

Thank you to Celina Malcolm for checking everyone in and handling the money!

Special huge thanks to the people that brought food to share OMG, this was one of the best spreads I remember at a pinball tournament.

Barry Schwartz, Natalie Morningstar, Eryca Sites (and Kile!), and Jeff Helgeson, you all went all in with the food! Wow!

We had sub sandwiches, lasagna’s, smoked bbq chicken and rice, chips, cupcakes, beignets, pb&j croissants, and a home baked cake! And more than that. Again thank you to everyone that brought food to share! You were most generous and we are all grateful!

And finally, huge thanks to everyone that made it out to play! We had a wonderful friendly group of people come out, and I appreciate you all very much.

Our next event will be the “F-14 Tomcat Launch Party” and party party on Friday August 7th.

That opens for registration on Monday August 3rd at 9am. You can sign up here at that time: https://app.matchplay.events/tournaments/244816

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07/11/2026

Last night we held our July Friday tournament, “Game of Thrones Vs The Simpsons Pinball Party: Which Plays Longest?” and it was a barn-burner! I repeat, the barn has burned!

I can report with confidence that Game of Thrones is the longer player. The town of Springfield got whipped like they were playing Shelbyville!

Average time for a 4 player game of TSPP: 24 minutes.

Average time for a 4 player game of Game of Thrones: 42 minutes! We’re talking Godzilla-like times! So that’s settled.

“When you play the Game of Thrones, you wait, and you are the last game of the round. Bring your drink.”

I want to again thank the people that were kind enough to bring food to share with everyone:
Jeff Helgeson who brought us a bunch of Henry VIII sized chicken legs, hot and sweet!

Celina Malcolm who added rice to the chicken!

Angela brought an assortment of fruits, vegetables, hummus and more!

Roy Michael who brought us pizza!

You-all who bring food to share with everyone are the wind beneath my wings! Don’t ever change.

The side event is a high score tournament on 5 modern Sterns - a Sternamint named “Thank You Shannon For Running The Side Event.” which oddly enough is run by Shannon.

For the finals of the side event, Jeff Helgeson was high seed and got to choose the game. He chose Avengers: Infinity Quest.

Celina Malcolm stood up to Thanos for longer than the rest and wins the side event! I believe that is Celina’s very first tournament WIN! Congratulations Celina!

Over in the main event Justin Bath took a strike in round 1 on Game of Thrones with 800 million points. This slap only focused his attention and he reeled off 7 non-strike games in a row!

Carlos Velez also took a strike in round 1, on the dreaded Space Invaders. He saw the run JB was on and said “hold my b**r and give me a kiss for luck” to his new bride Jess, and ran off NINE non-strike games in a row.

And then guess what? An eerie beep-beep boop-boop noise started and the damned Space Invaders were back with another strike for Carlos.

But Carlos shouted as no witnesses have since corroborated, “That, and no more!”

Carlos didn’t take another strike all night, and for the final two games had to beat Mr Bath in head to head play! That’s never an easy ask.

Round 14 was Harlem Globetrotters, round 15 was Pl***oy. Carlos won both games.

Congratulations Carlos! That was an incredible run!

A tip of the hat and a shout out to 4 relative newcomers who played really well and went deep into the tournament; Micha Broadnax, Kevin Dadin, Nathan Fairbanks, and Aaron Quade! Congratulations!

In the main event;
Tied for 4th place, Garrett Maury!
Tied for 4th place, Nathan Fairbanks!
In 3rd place, Aaron Quade!
In 2nd place, Justin Bath!
And in 1st place, Winner and Champion of the Night, Carlos Velez!

Congratulations to all the winners!

Thank you to Shannon Keys and Matthew Mister for TD’ing the event. I appreciate you!

Thank you to Celina Malcolm for hosting this crew every month, for handling the money and check ins, and then cleaning up at the end of the night.

Thank you to the fence removal and restoration crew, hah!

And most of all, thank you to each and every one of you that chooses to spend their Friday night partying and playing pinball with us. Without you these events would not happen. Thank you!

Our next event is July 18th in West Friendship MD at a private home. PinBrawlers vol 1: It Begins is going to be a blast!

I believe we are full up and in a waitlist, but here is a link to sign up. Note the parking restrictions.

https://app.matchplay.events/tournaments/255122

Play More Pinball!

07/06/2026

Registration is OPEN for this Friday 7/10/26: Game of Thrones Vs TSPP: Which Plays Longest?

Game of Thrones is new, and The Simpsons Pinball Party is back! So let's feature them in a Friday 4-strike tournament!

Limited to 32 players. Prior registration is required through MatchPlay.
Registration opens 7/6 at 9am.

Register here: https://app.matchplay.events/tournaments/244817

Doors open at 7:30 pm, tournament starts at 8 o'clock sharp.

Bring your own food and alcohol, a party atmosphere is encouraged! Food delivery options available and there is a b**r/wine store literally around the corner.

Free parking up the street 1 block, or metered parking right in front of the event, which becomes free at 10pm.

Entry fee of $15 is cash at the door or prepaid through PayPal. No coin drop is required.

Entry fee is broken down as:
$9 prize money in the main event
$1 prize money in the side event
$2 IFPA main and side events
$3 expenses

Game of Thrones Vs TSPP: Which Plays Longest? is a 4 strike pinball tournament played in groups of 4 on 10-12 pinball machines in the collection, mostly classics.

In a four player group, the bottom two players get a strike.
In a three player group, only the bottom player get a strike.
In a two player group, the losing player get a strike.

Questions may be directed to [email protected]

Jul 10, 2026 8:00PM • Department of Pinball and Gaming Redundancy Department

06/18/2026

Registration is OPEN for PinBrawlers vol1, a pinball tournament!

PinBrawlers vol 1: It Begins
A Department of Pinball event at Brian B's house / PinBawlers HQ in West Friendship MD.

Brian has agreed to let us back into his place after the 2025 MD States event!

Qualifying: 5 double rounds (old game & new game) in 4 player groups 7/5/3/1 points.
Top 16 make PAPA style finals, 3 games per round.
Limited to 40 players. Prior registration is required.
Doors at 11am, tournament starts at noon.
Entry fee of $20 cash at the door, or prepaid through PayPal.
No coin drop.
Address will be emailed to registrants.
Parking is limited. Some spots will be assigned to carpools of 4+ people.
A shuttle will be provided from the nearby shopping center.
Questions may be directed to [email protected].

Register here in Matchplay:
https://app.matchplay.events/tournaments/255122

06/16/2026

PinBrawlers Pinball Tournament: A Department of Pinball Event!
When: Saturday July 18th at 12 noon.
Where: Brian B's House in West Friendship, Maryland
Entry fee: $20 all-in, no coin drop, cash at the door.

Approximately 40 pins in the main event from classics to a ton of moderns. This is the location where we held the 2025 Maryland State Championship.

Qualifying: 5 double rounds (old game & new game) in 4 player groups 7/5/3/1 points.
Top 16 make PAPA style finals, 3 games per round.
Limited to 40 players. Prior registration is required.

Registration opens Thurs June 18th at 9am on MatchPlay:
https://app.matchplay.events/tournaments/255122

06/13/2026

On Friday we held the June iteration of RoboCop Vs The Walking Dead: Who Is Deadliest?, a four strike pinball tournament with side event!

Wow did you folks come with the food this time! Huge thanks to everyone that brought food to share, including Jeff Helgeson, Cassandra Allen, Barry Schwartz, and Roy Michael! I hope I haven't forgotten anyone there. That was some great food! Thank you!

Fifteen players jumped into the side event, "Thank You Shannon For Running The Side Event", putting up their best scores on 5 modern Sterns: Led Zeppelin, Jurassic Park, Avengers Infinity Quest, Godzilla, and Metallica Remastered. The final game of the side event was chosen to be Avengers Infinity Quest. The final four winners are;
In 4th place, John Heinz!
In 3rd place, Nathan Fairbanks!
In 2nd place, Doru Zuba!
And in 1st place, winning the side event with her name on it, Shannon Keys!

Over in the main event, F14 Tomcat made itself at home in the lineup, and a bunch of good games were put up.

Winners of the main event;
Tied for 3rd place, Garret Maury and Francis Parks!
In 2nd place, Justin Bath
And in 1st place, Winner and Champion of the Night, Shawn Hillman!

Congratulations winners!

A huge THANK YOU to Matthew Mister and Shannon Keys for TD'ing the events!

Thank you to Celina Malcolm for hosting us and supplying coffee!

Thank you most of all to everyone that showed up to play! Shout out to our friend Jennifer Richardson for showing up all the way from NJ! And welcome to our two newest players, Cameron Evers and Brett Bennett!

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